2017 – Wednesday

Good data examples

Message of the day

Things to consider

What makes data good?

It has to be readable and well enough documented for others (and a future you) to understand.

Data has to be findable to keep it from being lost. Information scientists have started to call such data FAIR — Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Re-usable. One of the most important things you can do to keep your data FAIR is to deposit it in a trusted digital repository. Do not use your personal website as your data archive.

Tidy data are good data. Messy data are hard to work with.

Data quality is a process, starting with planning through to curation of the data for deposit.

Activities

What is your favorite data set? How/why is it good for your project? Try out the FAIR Principles to describe and share examples of good data for your discipline. Tell us on Twitter (#loveyourdata) or in the comments below!